


I've Gotcha

by Coeurire



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Canon, Seriously They're Just Friends I Cannot Stress This Enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 09:11:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5242724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coeurire/pseuds/Coeurire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's 3AM and Alphys is having somewhat of a breakdown. She calls Sans to help her through it.</p><p>(Pre-canon.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Gotcha

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I was crying and wrote this to stop crying, and decided to post it. It was kinda wish fulfillment. Alphys turned out perhaps somewhat more like me than like her, but I hope it makes someone feel better regardless.

Sans tramped slowly through the dimly lit corridor, the striped shirt else itchy on his back. He tried desperately to remember what he was here for, who he was supposed to meet, and stroked the growing, inky crack in his skull. He thought hard. In his remembering, he saw the Core, and the explosion, and then he was in Snowdin, with yellow flowers sprouting up left and--

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEE

The text tone jolted Sans out of the developing nightmare. He looked at the clock - 3:32 AM. Well, hell. Looked like it was time for bad. 

When Alphys and Sans wanted to talk, they messaged on the Underground’s social network. When they NEEDED to talk, they sent each other a text, which was why each had the other’s text tone set to the loudest, most obnoxious and panicked alarm tone possible. Hurriedly pulling on a pair of pants, Sans swiped the screen with his free hand to read the message. 

“oh god i feel awful i’m garbage i fucked up majorly i haven’t left the lab in four days i haven’t fed them i can’t do this tonight”  
“omw,” he responded.

He stepped out of his room, leaving a note for Papyrus on the door to explain where he was (thank goodness his shift tomorrow didn’t start till late). He stepped again, and all at once he was outside the door to Alphys’ lab. He slid it open, and there she was. She was sitting at her desk in a stained onesie, bags under her eyes and knees pulled up to her chest, staring vacantly at the episode of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie playing on her computer. She looked like a mess. When she heard him come in, she straightened up and paused the anime. “H-hey,” she said, unable to muster the enthusiasm she wanted. “So, uh, you got my text, and um, I’m just having a bad n-n-night, it’s all my fault, it’s not anyone else’s fault, I’d be fine if I didn’t screw up so muh-much…” Her voice faltered, and she covered her face in her hands. Wordlessly Sans stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, but she didn’t hug him back. “Sorry. I can’t k-keep it together, not that I e-ever can, Sans, I, oh my god i’m a failure i’m so behind on everything asgore thinks i’m working on i’m just g-gonna fuck everything up i b-b-b-b-b-brought this on myself and…...”

Alphys’ words were lost in uncontrollable sobs. She buried her head in his chest and put her arms around him, clinging to him like she was drowning. “hey, shhh,” Sans whispered, stroking the top of her head. “it’s okay. you’re fine. i’ve got you. what happened?” 

Alphys shook her head. “N-nothing, even, just behind on everything, just a bad night,” she hiccupped. “I don’t really need you, I don’t d-deserve to…I’m just taking advantage of you, and being, g-garbage again….I d-d-d-don’t deserve this, I d-d-don’t deserve a-any of this...” 

“that’s not true,” Sans said softly. “and even if it was, i’d still be here. just like you’re there for me. that’s what pals are for.” She burbled something unintelligible into Sans’ T-shirt and resumed sobbing. “hey, you’re okay,” Sans told her, squeezing her to him tightly. “you’re fine. it’s gonna be fine.” 

He held her like that until she had exhausted her stock of sobs and tears, and even afterwards, as she sniffled into his T-shirt. Finally, she let him go, wiping her nose on her sleeve and sitting on the floor. “S-sorry,” she said in an empty voice, staring at the ground. “I didn’t mean to be THAT much of a mess.”

Sans sat down next to her. Phew, this ground was dusty. “hey, no big deal. we all cry sometimes. even me. and i don’t have eyeballs.” 

Alphys forced out a chuckle at that. “I just, um….oh my god there’s so much I need to do! With, the, amalg, um, the Determination experiments, and with how everything is a mess, and. Well, that’s why I called you over here. I don’t know what to do, it’s almost 4 AM, wh-what can I possibly get done now?”

“eh, just leave it till tomorrow,” Sans replied. “you’ll be fine.” At this point, she definitely needed sleep more than anything else.

Alphys didn’t take her eyes off the ground. “Y-yeah. Maybe I will. B-b-but I, um...This is stupid, but, um, I don’t want to get in bed, by myself, in case, I can’t get myself up? Heh heh heh...God, I’m such a loser, look at me. I mean! I’m fine, this is just me, i-it’s always been just me, it’s always my fault, I c…”

Sans placed a hand on Alphys’ shoulder, and she stiffened. “...oh no. I’m being hysterical again, aren’t I?”

“you’re fine.”

“No, I am! I totally am, God, I’m so sorry,” Alphys said, with more forced laughter. “I didn’t mean to be this bad. I just thought, you could put the food in for them - I haven’t been able to go in there for days! I’m terrible! They must be starving! - and then we could b-both get to sleep.” 

“put the food in for--?” Sans asked. “oh yeah. like that other time.” He was curious beyond belief about what sort of creatures she had asked him to fill the dog food bowls up for, in that rotting green laboratory, but the look in her eyes when he’d asked had made him decide not to pry any further. “say no more,” he said, standing up.

“It-it’s two cups from each bowl, th-thank you,” Alphys reminded him as he grabbed the enormous bag of dog food from beside the fridge. She squeezed her eyes shut, and he was gone. The way Sans took his “shortcuts” was so weird; why couldn’t he just do his thing while people were watching? Was his travel really connected to some sort of bizarre Schrodingeresque situation?

Even with her eyes shut, the room seemed much darker to Alphys, and very much quieter. Oh my God, what had she done? Sent in Sans, her FRIEND, who had ONE HIT POINT, to the mercy of those hungry amalgamates just because she hadn’t had the guts to face them herself? She felt herself start to panic again, and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him shortcut his way back in, right next to her. “alright,” he said. “think you could sleep if you tried?”

She took a deep breath, thought about it, and nodded. “c’mon, then,” said Sans, taking her hand. “let’s get some beauty rest.”

She squeezed her eyes shut again, and when she opened them they were in the bedroom behind her lab. Sans flicked on the light and laughed. “wow. you’re almost as bad as me.” The room was utterly trashed. Manga and figurines were strewn around everywhere, as were clothes, spare blankets….Was that a test tube on the floor? With something spilled out of it? Jeesh.

Alphys usually cared, but this time the messy bed looked like the best thing in the world. She hadn’t made it there for days; she’d just been dozing off at her desk in front of anime for the past few days. She hopped onto it and burrowed into the blankets. Sans climbed in beside her, rolling onto his side and wrapping a bony arm around her, which she clutched gratefully.

“Th-thanks again for coming over,” she mumbled. 

“don’t mention it. really,” replied Sans sleepily. “sleep tight. don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

Alphys finally smiled, weakly. “I-if they do...I’ll hit ‘em with a shoe!” She turned off the bedside lamp, snuggling up into the skeleton. Within minutes, both were asleep.


End file.
